I thought the logo was bad but the coins are truly awful

[Guest]

.....The Olympics.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I haven't seen the coins yet, but I agree about the logo.

[Petrushka]

Fed up with the TV coverage already.

And how do I manage to get an hotel room during Proms 2012?

[Mr Pee]

They're not coins, they're MEDALS.

And I'm no huge fan of the logo either, although it's growing on me, but actually I think the MEDALS look great. As did- at the last look- some 76% of voters in a Telegraph online poll.

Still, there'll always be some who want to knock anything to do with the London Olympics. A bit sad really, but typical of the negativity that's such a depressing aspect of Britain today.

And how do I manage to get an hotel room during Proms 2012?

Try booking now. It's not rocket science. And even if you're unsuccesful, the Olympics probably won't come to the UK again in any of our lifetimes, so I'm sure you'll survive. Go on holiday instead. There's a big wide world out there.

[handsomefortune]

probably won't come to the UK again in any of our lifetimes

great!

what's not to like about that!

[Boilk]

The back is aesthetically quite nice but the heads side (with the angel or woman in a soldier's helmet) is as boring as hell, as is the 2012 logo, which has no sports connotations at all.

[hackneyvi]

I like the logo but the medals are a mess. See below:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14291544

It's not just that they're the size of a Wagon Wheel, nor even that the front and back are so ill-matched. My primary beef is that the figure on the front reminds me of a reenactment of Iwo Jima.

But the 1972 medal is abominably sexist. Most of the ones from the last 40 years are lame Greek pastiches. Take a look at the beautiful design from the 1900 games in France, though. You've got to hand it to them ...

[Lateralthinking1]

It looks like four dolly mixtures chucked against a game of jack straws.

[Sydney Grew]

. . . actually I think the MEDALS look great. . . .

Whereas the concept behind the "games" themselves is merely gross. Look! I can make my muscle bigger than yours! And I'm Brrritish!

[Mahlerei]

Oh Syd, you are a card. I haven't laughed so much in ages :)

[burning dog]

I find the Olympics a bore and passed it's sell by date. but I don't why people get SO worked up about it. Of course it's massively more expensive than it needs to be and the media coverage is hyperbolic but that applies to so many things. There is far too much "News" in general and far too little good journalism. "And now back to Washington where almost nothing has happened since we were last there 45 mniutes ago."

I'm glad the tickets are very expensive and have sold out. The big challenge is doing something useful with the site afterwards. I really hope they do and will be very annoyed if they don't, but I get the impression that some would miss the opportunity to say "I told you so".

Many complain there isn't spending in a similar fashion on the Arts, but the two are not mutually exclusive. Western countries can afford both, but they'd rather get involved in unwinnable wars, pay people to do nothing rather than subsidize them working, let the rich (companies and individuals) run around the world avoiding tax, save huge capitalist enterprises with tax payers money then not interfere with how they are run etc. etc.


Something that really DOES annoy me is when the media, usually the BBC, refer to the site being in the East End rather than East London, but perhaps I should get out more.

[mercia]

lame Greek

Hephaestus

[Mandryka]

There's something deeply sad and pointless about all Olympic coverage: the mere fact that the games start 'one year from today' occupied the headlne space on yesterday's BBC news, despite there being plenty of other things going on in the world.

Olympic athletes are just doltish attention-seekers. I daresay that being able to run/swim/throw a javelin/jump up and down faster/further/better than anyone else count as achievements of sorts, but they are all of stupefying irrelevance.

I find it disturbing that these village green idiots are given knighthoods and damehoods almost automatically for their five minutes' in the spotlight.

The opening/closing and transfer ceremonies are pompous, over-elaborate and hugely wasteful. A lot could be achieved with all the money squandered on these things.

Anyway, the British are useless at sport and athletics....always have been, always will be. We should devote our time and money to the cultivation of things we do actually have some talent for, like putting on plays.

[Dave2002]

"I find the XXX a bore and passed it's sell by date. but I don't [see] why people get SO worked up about it." burning dog

XXX= The Olympics
XXX= The Proms
XXX= The Glastonbury Festival
XXX= The Bayreuth Festival
XXX= Wimbledon
XXX= The Derby
XXX= The Boat Race
XXX= The World Crazy Golf Championships

http://www.miniaturegolfer.com/world_crazy_golf_championships.html

XXX= You name it ......

You can make this kind of comment about almost anything!

"Olympic athletes are just doltish attention-seekers. I daresay that being able to run/swim/throw a javelin/jump up and down faster/further/better than anyone else count as achievements of sorts, but they are all of stupefying irrelevance." mandryka

Irrelevant to whom? You could also say that being able to play Brahms' violin concerto is of stupefying irrelevance, and that those who do it are also just doitish attention-seekers, and that such would count as an achievement of sorts.

How do you decide what is worth while? What is valued or irrelevant for you may not be for others.

Some kinds of human activity does seem more important than others, but it is often a subjective view, though such a subjective view may be held by many. Some events are seemingly valued, and appreciated by many. Is that necessarily a bad thing?

[burning dog]

Dave 2002

My opinions on the Oylmpics are purely subjective obviously. It can't be 'past it' if all the tickets have sold out.

I have become less interested in the Olympics and consider it as has been superceded somehat in it's main field of interest (to me) since the World Athletics Championship. I can't get to worked up about "Us" winning a medal for a sport I've never heard of and I expect there is a World Championship for all of them nowadays.

Whether I like the Derby or or Wimbledon or not they are still very important features of the Horesracing and Tennis seasons internationally. How many care who wins the Olympic Tennis medal compared to Wimbledon or the US open?

My main point is really people blow a gasket over things like the Olympics instead of saying 'It's not for me' A big loss making Tournament, like happened in Montreal, paid for by the tax payer would be something to get angry about.

PS Im certain I could argue objectively that there are genuine differences between the Boat Race The Deby and the Crazy Golf Tourney as events. maybe I'll start a new thread